


A Tale of Sinnoh

by Nemesis21



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-08-12
Packaged: 2017-12-20 19:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemesis21/pseuds/Nemesis21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the year 421 AH (after humanity) Alakazam, Lord of Eterna City, is asked for help by his old friend, King Emboar. The king’s helping hand, Lord Garbodor, died under mysterious circumstances. Alakazam accepts, but soon he discovers that Emboar is no longer able to rule Sinnoh. And so the Psi Pokémon is drawn into a struggle for power and control, in which dark forces are at work...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Ghosts and Dragons

##### Eterna Forest, Sinnoh

##### 

Coming to the forest was a big mistake.  
Back then, when he was still a child, Spinda often heard these stories told by the elders in his village. Those were stories about the Eterna Forest and its inhabitants, the Ghastlys, Duskulls and Drifloons. It was said that they loved to abduct young Pokémon. They would bring their victims to a hidden location, where they feasted on the fear of the young ones until they literally scared themselves to death.  
In those days Spinda really believed that ghosts were real. But now that he was grown up, he believed that it was simply superstition, and so did most of his friends.  
“If there really are ghosts, then why have I never seen one?” Spinda asked Grandfather Slowbro one day.  
Slowbro wasn’t really his grandfather. He was just the Eldest of the village, and all young Pokémon called him “grandfather” as a sign of respect.  
“Because most ghosts fear the sun,” replied Slowbro. “As soon they see daylight, they retreat to their home realm, the Distortion World. They only dare to come into our world at night...”  
“Well, then I have nothing to fear if I go to the woods with Gothorita,” said Spinda. “We really won't stay that long.”  
Gothorita was Spinda’s new girlfriend. Some of his friends had initially disapproved the relationship, because the Pokémon with the old-fashioned black dress and somewhat strange hairstyle was considered eccentric and unpredictable. But Spinda didn't care and stayed with her.  
He has not regretted his decision since then and looked forward to every second they could spend together. On that day he took a day from his work, and Gotharita suggested taking a trip to the Eterna Forest. Spinda immediately agreed, but when grandfather Slowbro found out, he tried to convince Spinda that it wasn't such a good idea after all.  
“But you should keep in mind that ghosts are very unpredictable. Some of them even come out at broad day light. And their ruler, the dragon lady Giratina, doesn't care if it's day or night!”  
Spinda laughed at Slowbro, waved goodbye and went on his way. If he had only listened to the warning…  
The sun was shining and not one single cloud covered the sky when Spinda and Gotharita entered the forest. But only minutes later the sun suddenly disappeared. It was getting uncomfortably cold, and at the same time the air became stifling. It was harder and harder for them to breathe, as if the air had turned into some liquid. Gotharita grabbed Spinda’s hand and squeezed it hard.  
“Please, let's go back,” she said timidly.  
Spinda's throat felt sore and he couldn't say a word, so he just nodded. At the very moment they turned around, something weird happened: Spinda was overcome by a feeling of dizziness. It was like the whole world turned upside down from one moment to the next. Everything changed, and even the forest wasn't the same anymore.  
Strange creatures which the young couple had never seen in their lives appeared and surrounded them. There were more than a dozen of them.  
“Who or what are those?” asked Gotharita.  
“I am Dusknoir, leader of the Clan of Duskulls,” answered one of the creatures. He appeared out of nowhere and was now hovering next to his companions. He was bigger and even more intimidating than the others. “You have trespassed into our territory.”  
“Please don't hurt us,” pleaded Spinda. “We were lost, we didn't want to come here. Please let us go, and we promise not to disturb you again."  
“You are now in the Distortion World,” replied Dusknoir. "This is our world, therefore you have to obey our rules: Only one of you will be allowed to leave, the other one will stay here with. You may decide yourselves who leaves and who stays."  
While Gotharita still clung to his hand, trembling of fear, Spinda suddenly knew what he had to do. Gotharita was the love of his life, and he had to protect her, even if it meant to sacrifice his own life. His fear fell off from him. He took a deep breath, stepped forward and said in a clear voice: “Let her go, I'll stay with you.”  
“No, don't do that, please!” sobbed Gotharita.  
“It's okay,” said Spinda and smiled. “Don't worry, I'll be fine!”  
Just as Dusknoir was about to grab Spinda's hand and to disappear there was a flash and a rolling thunder. A giant Pokémon appeared before them. Its long body was shaped like a snake. It had six short legs with golden tips and six long black wings in the shape of claws. A golden mask covered its face. It was frightening and elegant at the same time. All the Ghost-type Pokémon bowed.  
“Lady Giratina,” Dusknoir said respectfully. "How may I serve you?"  
"I don't want the boy," said Giratina in a voice that accepted no protest. "Bring me the girl!"  
"As you wish, Milady," said Dusknoir. He let go of Spinda and grabbed Gotharita's arm. The Manipulate-Pokémon screamed and tried to fight back while holding herself to Spinda. But her opponent was too strong. She lost her grip and was pulled away from her friend. Spinda tried to catch her, but one of the Duskulls attacked him with a strong Pursuit, and he fell to the floor head first.  
He jumped back to his feet, but in those few seconds, the world has changed again. He was back to the place he knew. The sun was shining brightly; the air was clear and warm. A Taillow sang his happy song. Spinda desperately ran back and forth along the path, hoping to get back to the Distortion World somehow. But the access was gone.  
Spinda sank to the ground and screamed. 


	2. Days Like These

##### Eterna City

##### 

Alakazam, head of the House of Soul and Lord of Eterna City, sat in his office and carefully examined the envelope brought by the Pelipper Post in the morning. He thought he could find a hidden message by doing so. From the outside, nothing seemed unusual about the letter at first glance. It looked just like any other ordinary letter. Just the paper had a better quality than others. Only after closer examination, one could see that it had a royal stamp.  
Alakazam and the regent of Sinnoh were close friends since the days when he was still a Kadabra, and the king not yet king, but an ordinary Pignite. But after he defeated the former king of Sinnoh, Beartic, in a battle two decades ago, and conquered the throne for himself, Alakazam could feel how his friend slowly grew distant from him. One day he heard that Emboar married Weavile, daughter of the wealthiest Lord of Sinnoh, Houndoom. Alakazam tried to warn his friend about Weavile's insidious nature, but Emboar took this as a personal attack. A dispute erupted between them, and the contact broke off completely. Alakazam has not heard a word from him, until this letter reached him out of the blue: 

My dearest friend!  
How have you been lately? I must apologize for not contacting you over all these years. I would like to come straight to the point: Something has happened that requires a private conversation between us. Therefore, I will come to Eterna City in two weeks. My wife will accompany me, as well as our son. I hope I'm not causing too much trouble for you and your family. Let's talk about everything else when we see each other.  
Sincerely yours,  
Emboar

That was all, not a single word on what was so important that he had to talk about. The only real news he had learned from the letter was that Emboar now had a son and that he secured the throne this way. What was there to discuss? As Alakazam mused about the message, a giant dog with red and golden fur came into his office.  
"Sorry for disturbing you, Lord Alakazam," he said. Sir Arcanine was the leader of the city watch. "We just arrested a Spinda in the city, who is said to have molested a little girl."  
"I'm right on my way," said Alakazam. He carefully folded the letter and put it back into the envelope, got up and followed Arcanine into the main hall which functioned as a court room.  
In Eterna City, one of the large cities of Sinnoh, it was Alakazam's duty to maintain law and order. What he said was done, and he was involved in all important decisions. In the whole region there was only one person whose position was higher than his: King Emboar. During the years of his regency in Eterna City he earned a reputation for being strict, but never unfair. That way he received the respect from most of the residents.  
Just as Alakazam arrived at the hall, a Spinda was brought in by a Growlithe and a Lairon. Spinda looked very miserable, not only because he was wearing cuffs. He looked unkempt, his fur was dirty, his ears hung down limply. A Gothitelle stood on one side of the hall, with her daughter Gothita in her arms. The mother glared at Spinda with an expression of disgust, while the girl watched her surroundings curiously.  
"You are Spinda, is that correct?" asked Alakazam after having taken his seat.  
When Spinda hesitated, he was pushed hard into the back by Lairon. "Answer when you're asked!"  
"Yes, that's me," said the Spot Panda, it was no more than a whisper.  
"Do you know the daughter of Gothitelle?"  
"No, I don't," replied Spinda. Suddenly, the words came out of him like a waterfall. "Listen please, I've done no harm to her… I just wanted to talk with her!"  
"You touched her with your filthy hands!" the mother interrupted him, hissing hysterically.  
"I confused her with someone else!" Spinda defended himself. "I thought she was my girlfriend…"  
"Don't you think Gothita is a bit too young to be your girlfriend?" asked Alakazam suspiciously.  
"I told you that I confused her with someone else, didn't I?" said Spinda desperately. "My girlfriend was a Gothorita, and this girl looks so much like her."  
"Why do you say 'was'? What happened to her?"  
"She was abducted a week ago, by ghosts!"  
A big laughter broke out in the hall. Only Gothitelle remained silent and stared grimly at him. Alakazam stayed serious, too.  
"You do know that there are no ghosts, right?" asked Growlithe.  
"Yes, there are!" said Spinda with a cracking voice. "I've seen them with my own eyes: Duskulls and a Dusknoir who obeyed the orders of Giratina! It's all true what the Elders have told me, I just didn't want to believe them!"  
Again the others laughed out loud, and Alakazam had to call them to be silent.  
"Well, this time I'll turn a blind eye to it," he said. "I will release you with a warning. You will stay away from little girls from now on, do you understand?"  
"Yes, Milord!" said Spinda and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Milord!"  
Alakazam turned to Growlithe and Lairon. "Bring him to Chansey. Ask her to do an examination on him and if needed, give him some Persim extract to cure his confusion. The case is closed, you may leave now!"  
Gothitelle seemed anything but satisfied with Alakazam's verdict. "You want to let him go, just like that?"  
"Yes, do you have problems with it?"  
"I have indeed! He harassed my daughter and touched her in an indecent manner…"  
"No, he didn't do anything like that!" Alakazam interrupted the angry mother harshly. "If you would calm down just a second and listen to your daughter's thoughts you would know it!"  
Still enraged, Gothitelle turned around and was about to leave the court room when her daughter started to fidget with her short legs.  
"Let me down, Mom!" she said. When Gothitelle complied reluctantly, the little girl ran to Alakazam, looked at him with her big blue eyes and asked: "Are there Dragons?"  
"No, my child, there are no dragons anymore," replied Alakazam. "They are long gone."  
Gothita seemed to think about something. "Why was that Spinda so sad?" she then asked.  
"Because he lost someone he loved very much, just like your mom loves you. Do you understand that?"  
Gothita nodded. "Yeah, I think so."  
Alakazam stroked her gently on the head. "You're a good kid. And now go, your mom is waiting!"  
Gothita smiled happily at Alakazam and ran back to Gothitelle. As the room emptied, the Lord of Eterna City stood up from his chair. It was then he noticed that Arcanine watched him critically.  
"What?" asked Alakazam.  
"It's nothing," replied Arcanine. "I was just thinking if we could have done anything to help Gothorita."  
"And what could we have done?"  
"Maybe we could have asked the Guardians for help?"  
"For what?" asked Alakazam. "You know as well as me that no one survived more than two days when abducted by Giratina."  
"I know," said Arcanine with bitterness. "It's just that I wished we could do more. You know, I hate my job in days like these. They make me believe that the peaceful times of Sinnoh are coming to an end."

##### Snowpoint City

##### 

There have been a lot of activities in the palace of Sinnoh's northernmost city for several days now. Countless Delibirds went in and out carrying ornaments to decorate the rooms. Smeargles were in charge of painting the walls, and a Wigglytuff was hired along with his team to prepare the food for the guests who would arrive in a few days. In the midst of all the commotion was a Glalie who watched the actions attentively. Everything had to be perfect, when Duke Machamp arrived with his entourage. The first impression was the most important.  
"Lord Glalie, may I talk to you for a second?" asked a soft voice.  
The Face Pokémon turned around to the corpulent female with blond hair, purple skin and a red dress standing behind him. It was Jynx, the personal servant of his sister Froslass.  
"Can't you see I'm busy?" asked Glalie annoyed.  
"I'm very sorry to disturb you," said Jynx. "But your sister has refused to eat anything for two days now. I'm worried about her. Maybe you could talk to her?"  
"Yes, all right," said Glalie. "I'm right on my way."  
When he arrived in Froslass' room, he saw her sitting right in front of her mirror of ice. He could see in the reflection that she has been crying. Her body was more fragile than ever. It was hard to believe that they were twins. Ever since the day she found that strange glowing stone and brought it home her appearance has completely changed.  
"What's wrong with you, dear sister?" asked Glalie.  
Froslass turned around to him. "What's wrong with me?" she asked. "You force me to marry this muscle guy and ask me that? How can you be so stupid?"  
"Do we really have to go through all this again? It the only way we can defend ourselves against King Emboar. With Duke Machamp’s army we will defeat him, and Sinnoh will be ours again!"  
"You've been talking about nothing else but becoming king for weeks now," Froslass replied defiantly. "You are just concerned about yourself, you selfish bastard!"  
Glalie was so enraged by her words that he almost attacked her with a Headbutt. But he knew that it would be ineffective on her, so he controlled himself. "How dare you calling me selfish?" he said with clenched teeth. "I'm doing this for both of us! Have you already forgotten that Emboar defeated our father and took the throne? And that father was so humiliated that he died from it? So before you insult me the next time, you should ask yourself what you did for our family!" Before he rushed out of the room, he stopped again and said with his back turned to his sister: "I will be the new ruler of Sinnoh, and no one will stop me, not even you!"  
Frosless felt that something was falling down from her face. She reached out and caught it in her hand. It was a tear drop, frozen to ice. 

##### Eterna City

##### 

Alakazam immediately knew that something was different when he came home. His wife Lilligant did not come to the door to greet him, as she normally did. Instead, she sat silently in the kitchen and peeled a large apple with a knife made of a Skarmory feather. She was completely lost in her thoughts and did not interrupt her work, even when Alakazam entered. He decided not to ask her and just sat down quietly. When Lilligant finished the peeling, she cut the apple in the middle and handed one half to her husband. They ate silently until Lilligant said:  
"Lord Garbodor died."  
The news took Alakazam by surprise. At first he didn't know anything else to say than: "I'm sorry."  
"You don't have to be," said Lilligant and shook her head. "I don't know why it bothers me so much. I never liked him anyway, even though he was always kind to my sister Serperior. Does it mean I have a bad nature?"  
"No, why do you say that?" asked Alakazam. "If you had a bad nature, you would not feel sorry for his death. How did he die?"  
"I don't know," replied Lilligant. "He was ill for quite some time. He went to every Chansey and every Audino he could find, but no one was able to help him. Even now they have no idea about the cause of death."  
The thoughts rushed through Alakazam's head. He hardly knew Garbodor. All that he knew was that he was very affable and dutiful. As the Helping Hand of the king he had achieved many things and received countless decorations. Suddenly Alakazam remembered the letter from Emboar. So that was the reason for his visit. Alakazam's stomach began to feel uncomfortable. He thought that maybe Arcanine was right. Maybe the peaceful times have indeed come to an end. 


	3. A Royal Visit

##### Mt Victory

##### 

Like every morning, Sableye was already up shortly after sunrise. He moved quietly across the room without waking Lopunny up, who was still asleep peacefully. From a large closet in the room he took an old, wooden box without any ornaments. Inside, he kept his most precious treasure: colorful gemstones and crystals, which he had accumulated in several years. To look at them and polish until they could fully develop their coloration was a kind of meditation for Sableye. It was his way to relax and to start a new day.  
On this morning, however, his rest was suddenly interrupted. After a few minutes he heard footsteps slowly coming closer. Apparently Sableye was not the only one who appreciated the early morning hours. Shortly after, a Pokémon stuck his head through the door. He had a pointed face and fiery red head hair. Sableye gave him a sign to stay outside, and then followed him.  
"Is that your new girlfriend? Is she number three or four this month?" asked the Dark-type Pokémon, and pointed with a short movement of his head towards the room. He was almost three times as large as Sableye. His body was very slim and agile. His long red hair reached way down his back. His voice was hoarse and very unpleasant to the ears.  
"I don’t think that this is any of your business, Zoroark," replied Sableye. "Now what do you want from me?"  
"Your sister wants you to accompany us on our journey to Eterna City tomorrow."  
"Thank you," said the dark-type Pokémon. "But I am not a great fan of family reunions and small talk."  
"Maybe I haven’t made my point clear enough: That was not a request."  
"Oh, I see, that's something different then," Sableye said with a sarcastic tone. "But since when is Weavile actually giving me orders? And since when does she send her lackey to me?"  
"I am not a lackey," said Zoroark calmly. If he felt attacked by Sableye words, he succeeded pretty well at hiding it. "I am responsible for the personal security of your sister."  
"I understand," said Sableye. "Tell me then, is the warming of her bed also part of her personal security?"  
"How dare you ...?" Zoroark bursted out. Finally Sableye had lured him out from his defense.  
"Oh, come on, King Emboar may perhaps be an old, drunken fool who doesn’t even notice when the wrong Pokémon hatches from an egg. But you didn’t seriously believe that I was just as dumb, right?" While Zoroark stared angrily at Sableye he continued blatantly. "And while we're at it, do you have anything to do with Lord Garbodor’s sudden death?"  
"Listen, that's enough!" snorted Zoroark. "You've clearly gone too far!"  
"No, you will now listen to me," Sableye said. He had given up the leisure conversational tone, his voice got harder. "It's my job to protect the House of Shadow. And the incidence with Lord Garbodor could there be a real problem if one of us was associates with it. So I ask you again: Was his death a by-product of your heated temper?"  
"No," Zoroark replied grimly. "I had nothing to do with that!"  
"Well, that's all I wanted to know," Sableye said. "Was it really that hard? And don’t worry about the thing with Weavile; it remains a secret between us. After all, we are a family now, and family members have to stick together." Before he went back to his room, he turned around again. "Please tell my sister that I will consider her offer."  
When Sableye was back in his room, Lopunny has woken up and yawned sleepily. "Where have you been?" She asked, blinking.  
"I had to discuss something briefly with someone," said Sableye. He crawled into bed and snuggled up to one of her fluffy ears. "What would you say if we traveled for a few days to Eterna City?"  
"I would really love to," said Lopunny thrilled. "I've always wanted to go there!"

##### Eterna City

The news of King Emboar's visit had spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to be there when the ruler and his family arrived in Eterna City. Hours before arrival, they gathered on both sides of the main road. Alakazam, his wife Lilligant and three of his four children, Kadabra, Reuniclus and Kirlia stood under a gazebo at the end of the path. Only Abra, the youngest son, was nowhere to be seen.  
"Where in Arceus’ name is he?" exclaimed Lilligant. "I’ve told him not to oversleep, not today."  
"He will be here soon, trust him..." Alakazam said.  
As if he had heard his mother, Abra appeared exactly at that very moment. He appeared right next to his siblings by using Teleport, the only attack he mastered so far.  
"I’m sorry," he said curtly.  
"Where have you been?" asked Lilligant.  
"I bet he was at the old mansion, although he’s not allowed to," quipped Kirlia.  
"No, I was not" Abra answered back.  
"Yes, you were!" replied Kirlia.  
"Mom, my sister is picking on me again!"  
"Stop it, both of you!" said Lilligant. "What will the others think of you?"  
"They will think that they are children," Alakazam said. "And children fight after all."  
"Sometimes I think you're too indulgent with the kids," said Lilligant. "We are not just like any family; decorum is expected especially from us. How will our children learn their lessons if you always forgive them immediately?"  
She was interrupted when a cheer went through the crowd and announced the arrival of King Emboar, Queen Weavile and Prince Sneasel. They sat in a carriage pulled by four strong Rapidash, surrounded by their bodyguards Escavalier, Zoroark and Graveler. And finally, they were accompanied by Sableye and Lopunny. They came to a halt in front of Alakazam’s family. The king and descended with the queen and their son while the others stayed behind just as it was required by the protocol.  
"Alakazam, my friend, it's nice to see you again," said Emboar and hugged his old comrade. "May I introduce? These are my wife Weavile and our son Sneasel."  
"I'm glad to finally meet you in person, Lord Alakazam", Weavile said kindly, but somewhat coldly. She was truly a royal beauty. Her fur shone bluish black and was very well-manicured; her bright red crown gave her a graceful appearance. At the same time there was something unfathomable in her eyes; and on her forehead was a shining golden spot which resembled a third eye. "Emboar has told me only good things about you."  
"I am honored, Your Highness," replied Alakazam.  
While the welcoming ceremony continued, Reuniclus pushed himself closer to Kadabra. "So, the child has no resemblance to his father whatsoever," he remarked.  
"Does anybody in this family resemble to anyone?" Kadabra asked back, and Reuniclus had no answer.

##### Snowpoint City

Froslass tried the best she could to make an relaxed impression. It was not easy, given the fact that obviously the Superpower Pokémon had a very different idea concerning the question how a wedding celebration should look like. Suddenly two Machoke started a fight right in front of Froslass’ seat, seemingly for no reason. After they had exchanged some Karate Chops and Low Kicks, one of them got a grip on his opponent’s belt, heaved him up into the air and catapulted him against the table where the buffet was set up. The table collapsed with a loud crash, and chef Wigglytuff had to witness the entire food falling to the floor. The Pokémon that was thrown stood up, laughed and patted his opponent on the shoulder. Then they both walked away as if nothing ever happened.  
Things were not much different among the young. A small group of Machop was holding a contest. Obviously the participants wanted to find out who could break the most tree trunks in a row by slamming their heads into them. The fact that some fainted during their attempts didn’t seem to bother anyone. Those who were injured were simply carried away, and the game went on.  
"This can’t possibly be healthy," exclaimed Froslass.  
"Strength is the most important thing in the life of a Superpower Pokémon. They begin to do their exercises only one day after hatching. That is why they are able to do what they do. I would strongly advise against anybody else trying this."  
Froslass turned her head to the left where the Pokémon stood. His entire body looked like it was wrapped up in bluish-grey bandages, the ends fluttering in the breeze. His head was protected by a red helmet. He watched sternly, his arms crossed over his chest.  
“Sir Accelgor, may I ask how you managed to live such a long time among them?” asked Froslass.  
Accelgor had already served the House of Frost during the reign of King Beartic. He accumulated a lot of knowledge during his numerous journeys. Besides for being known by the fact that he had lived three years with the Superpower Pokémon, he was said to be one of the few creatures who have gone beyond the boundaries of Sinnoh.  
"It was not so hard, after I got used to it. You must be willing to reach out to them," replied Accelgor. "Everything in the world is about approach. It is always better to find out what we have in common than to stress what makes us different. We are creatures of the same world after all."  
"Your attitude is admirable," said Froslass. "I'm only afraid that I can’t do what I’m expected to do..."  
"But yes, you can," replied Accelgor. "You’re strong, just like your father, and I have faith in you... Oh, before I forget, this is my wedding gift to you." He handed her a wooden box. As Froslass opened it, she saw several ancient scrolls.  
"What is this?" she said.  
"These are records of Sinnoh from the Age of Men," replied Accelgor. "I thought that they might be of interest for you."  
"Thank you very much," said Froslass. Then she attended to the festivities again and tried to be a good hostess as far as possible.

##### Eterna City

Late at night, when most creatures had already gone to sleep, Alakazam and Emboar sat together in the garden by a small campfire made by the Fire Pig Pokemon. While they were warming themselves, they reveled in old memories.  
"Do you remember Manectric?" Emboar asked suddenly.  
"Sure," replied Alakazam. "How can I forget him? He was a braggart and believed he was invincible, only because he just evolved from an Electrike."  
"One day at the training he wanted to prove that he was able to jump as far as a Breloom," Emboar remembered, and the memory made him smile. "So he planned to jump over the mud pit in the yard."  
"Everybody tries to dissuade him, but he would not listen," Alakazam added. He tried to suppress a laugh. "He took his stance, used Bulk Up in front of our eyes, ran, jumped..."  
"...and landed right in the mud pit" Emboar finished the sentence. He couldn’t hold himself anymore and laughed out loud. "I’ll never forget how he looked like afterwards!"  
"Manectric didn’t find it funny at all, because he couldn’t use a single electric type attack for a week," Alakazam said, he too had to laugh.  
"Those were the days, eh?"  
"Yeah, you're right. Everything seemed so peaceful and life was so careless..." agreed the Psi Pokémon. For a while both were silent and reveled in their memories. Alakazam then changed the subject. "I've heard the news about Lord Garbodor."  
"Yes, it's really tragic," said Emboar and sighed as he would carry a large load on his back. "It is a great loss for us all. He was one of the Pokémon that have made our world better. He never did things by halves, when it came to his job. He has always risked everything. Maybe that has cost him his life. "  
"What do you mean? Lilligant told me that he died from illness."  
"That’s not true,” replied Emboar. “He was assassinated… Truth is that there is a conspiracy against me and my family. Someone in my surroundings supports Beartic’s offspring to overthrow me..."  
"What?" asked Alakazam puzzled. "Who could possibly be involved?"  
"I don’t know," replied Emboar. "Lord Garbodor tried to investigate. And I think that he found something. Several times he sent his most-trusted subordinate Sir Vulcarona on errands."  
"Do you know why?" asked Alakazam.  
"No, Lord Garbodor couldn’t tell me anymore" Emboar said. "When I was at his deathbed, he said something strange. He said: ‘Males are stronger than females.’ I still don’t know what it means."  
Alakazam paused thoughtfully, staring into the flames. He tried to make sense of it. What has Garbodor been trying to say? It was unlikely that he just meant that males were physically stronger than females, because that was a simple fact that every kid knew. It would hardly have been of such importance that Lord Garbodor felt the urge to tell it shortly before his death. There had to be a deeper meaning. But what was it?  
“I want you to come with me to Mt Victory and take the position as my new helping hand," Emboar said suddenly, ripping Alakazam from his thoughts. He had been prepared for many things, but this completely took him by surprise.  
"I feel truly honored," said the Psi Pokémon. "But I can’t just go away. I have a job to do here in Eterna City."  
"Transfer your office on Kadabra. He's been working as your deputy for a while now. He will be up to the new task," replied the king. "But I need someone like you, someone with a sharp mind like yours. So I’m asking you as a friend, not as a ruler."  
"Give me some time to think about it," Alakazam said. "And I have to talk about it with Lilligant before I make my decision."  
"Of course," said Emboar. "I’ll give you all the time you need."


	4. End of Days

##### Eterna City

##### 

When Abra woke up in the morning after his long sleep, he had a pleasant warm feeling which spread through his body and was steadily growing stronger. He experienced this feeling everyday and felt how he was charged with energy. In those moments he could hardly wait to get out and explore the city before he would have to go back to sleep.  
Especially one of the old mansions exercised an irresistible attraction on him. He regularly went there to explore the ancient ruin. He knew that his mother had forbidden him to go there several times. But the warnings that it was dangerous for young Pokémon did not prevent him from going. On the contrary, they made things even more exciting for him. And he told himself that he could easily use Teleport when it really got dangerous. But it never has been necessary so far.  
Abra entered the building through a large door. When he was here the last time, he had found access to a section of the house which he had not yet investigated. Thanks to his good memory he found his way back quickly.  
While he was walking slowly through the winding corridors, he suddenly heard voices. This was very unusual, because so far he had never met anyone here. He followed the direction of the voices and eventually came to a large hall where he saw two other Pokémon. They seemed to be preoccupied with some sort of prayer and therefore didn’t notice Abra. As he crept closer, he was surprised to discover that the two Pokémon were none other than Queen Weavile and her bodyguards, Sir Zoroark.  
‘What are they doing here?’ Abra asked himself.  
He crept closer and hid behind a pile of rubble. The strange prayer which the two spoke and which Abra wasn’t able to understand at all became faster and faster, and the voices of the two Dark-type Pokémon were growing louder and louder until they were screaming louder than a Loudred, and Abra had to cover his ears. Then they broke off suddenly, as if someone had pressed a button, and there was an eerie silence. Abra began to wonder what had happened and cautiously peered out from his hiding. What he saw filled him with even greater astonishment.  
Dense, white fog oozed out of the ground between Weavile and Zoroark. More and more of it came from the floor, until the two Dark-type Pokémon were completely shrouded in white mist. Soon Abra couldn’t see anything anymore, not even his own hands when he held them right in front of his face. The situation became more and more threatening to the boy, and for the first time in his life he began to panic. But just as he decided to teleport himself away, the fog began to clear up. When Abra could see again, he realized that another Pokémon had appeared in the meantime. It was dressed in a dark, tattered robe. His long white hair was fluttering although there was absolutely no wind. His eyes were as blue as a water stone, and his cold gaze could pierce through the soul of a Pokémon. Even Weavile and Zoroark bowed to him.  
"Lord Darkrai," said the Queen. "Zoroark and I, we both welcome you!"  
"I thank you," replied Darkrai. His voice was deep and echoed in the ears. "And I thank the House of Shadow for their efforts. I will certainly not forget your commitments to me. Be sure that you will be rewarded. An eternal night will rise, and at the end of days, Sinnoh will be ours!"  
This ominous announcement frightened Abra deeply. But he decided to stay to investigate further into the matter. He wanted to know who this Darkrai was and what he and the House of Shadow had in mind. And why did he show up here in Eterna City?  
The young Psi Pokémon moved closer to the other three in order to understand better what they discussed. He moved cautiously, trying not to make any sounds that might alarm them. But Darkrai seemed to have noticed him nonetheless. He interrupted the conversation abruptly.  
"Someone came here uninvited," he said, before he dissolved into thin air.  
Abra knew now that it was high time to escape. He did what he could do best: Teleport. It was the only "attack" that he has learned so far, but he has mastered it to a stage where he could perform it even while he was asleep. He closed his eyes, focused his mental energy and imagined himself sitting in the kitchen and being hosted lovingly of his mother. In the background he could hear Zoroark’s rough voice shouting something unintelligible, and then it slowly became distant, until it no longer could be heard.  
Slowly Abra opened his eyes again.  
As always after a Teleport he was caught in a slight dizziness for a few seconds, before this feeling slowly subsided. But this time something seemed to have gone wrong. Abra quickly realized that he was not sitting in the kitchen of his family as planned. Actually, he wasn’t even at home at all. He was in a strange place, and a little later he realized that he was still in the old mansion. And as he mused about what might have happened, he heard Weavile’s angry voice, and she was very close.  
"Did you catch him?" she snapped.  
"Not yet," Zoroark called back. "I hate it to track down someone who’s able to teleport. He will be in deep trouble when I get him!"  
The next moment Abra already saw the black Illusion Fox Pokémon came running around the corner at an amazing speed.  
"Hey, there you are," he said, and stopped. "This time, you won’t get away from me that easily!" He raised his right hand and pointed to Abra with his red claws as if he wanted to illustrate something.  
Abra ignored him and prepared for a new Teleport move. But something has changed: No matter how hard he tried, the Teleport just won’t succeed. It was as if something was blocking a mechanism inside his body. He tried again and again, but nothing happened.  
"Now you're surprised, are you not?" said Zoroark. He was clearly amused by Abra’s fear. "The attack that I just used is called ‘Torment’. It prevents you from using the same attack twice in a row. Now that I see how you’re turning red like a Krabby, I think the name of this move is actually quite appropriate."  
Abra stared angrily at the Zoroark. He held perfectly still and waited for Zoroark coming up step by step. Then, when the Fox Pokémon had approached him up to half a meter, Abra jumped up and rammed him with all the power he could bring up. The impact would almost have thrown his opponent to the ground. But thanks to the high defense status he remained standing. Abra on the other hand was hit hard by the setback; he fell to the floor and lost consciousness.  
"Are you okay?" Weavile shouted when she came running around the corner.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Zoroark. "I just forgot how powerful a Struggle move can be."  
"We're done here," said Weavile, looking at Abra. "Let’s leave this place." 

##### Snowpoint City

##### 

It has always been the talent of Jynx to cheer others up. With her joyful nature, she always managed to make others laugh. This talent was demanded especially in the past few days when Froslass seemed to be caught up in sadness most of the time.  
Even the morning after the wedding it was not much different. As the Human Shape Pokémon came into the bedchamber of the newly crowned Duchess, Froslass sat at the window and stared outside. Machamp was nowhere to be seen. As always, he had gone out early in the morning to begin his day with strength training.  
"How was your first night as the wife of a duke?" asked Jynx.  
Froslass turned and looked at her without saying a word. Dark rings were under her eyes, her gaze was glassy.  
"Oh dear, was it that bad?" asked the servant.  
"Please, I do not want to talk about it," said Froslass dully.  
"You do not have to if you don’t want," said Jynx. "But if you do, I'm always there for you."  
Froslass sluggishly nodded and looked back out the window in silence while Rossana went on to do her work. She whirled around and cleaned up the room, though it was hardly necessary; Froslass always kept her place clean herself. When she finished her work, she went back to the door. "What if we have nothing in common?" Froslass asked herself aloud suddenly.  
"I beg your pardon? I do not understand..."  
"Sir Accelgor gave me the advice to find similarities between Duke Machamp and me. But what if there is no common ground for us? Should I deny myself then? Should I pretend to be something that I'm not? "  
"No, you shouldn’t," replied the servant. "Finding things in common means getting to know each other and to learn what he likes, what he hates, how he thinks and why. Find out what he feels. Ask him what it means for him to be strong, and why it is so important to him. But also tell him what's important to you and what makes you what you are. And above all, stay true to yourself."  
Froslass tried to smile. "Thank you, Jynx. You helped me a lot."  
"My pleasure," said the servant. With a smile on her face and a song on her lips, she left Froslass’ room. 

##### Near the Eterna Forest

##### 

Sneasel never saw something so beautiful in his life. While he explored his surroundings, he came to a steep cliff that fell several meters into a canyon. And there, on the very top, Kirlia was dancing with her eyes closed, to a melody that only she could hear. She turned pirouettes, leaped into the air and drew large circles with outstretched arms. She never came close to the edge of the cliff. It was as if she was guided by an invisible hand.  
While Sneasel watched with great interest, a picture about his future came up before his mind's eye. In his vision, he reigned as King Weavile over Sinnoh. And at his side stood Queen Gardevoir, famous for her beauty in the entire region. All day Pokémon would come to the court from everywhere, just to admire her beauty and his wisdom.  
"How long have you been standing there?" He was suddenly awakened from his daydream by Kirlia’s voice.  
"Not long," Sneasel said hastily.  
"And ... did you like what you saw?"  
"Yes, very much so," replied Sneasel embarrassed.  
"Hey, no reason to get red", Kirlia said.  
"I'm not getting red!"  
"Yes you are, as red as a Tamato Berry" replied Kirlia and laughed. It was a beautiful laughter. If she has become his queen one day, he would make her laugh all day, just to listen to her.  
"How long are you dancing?" he asked.  
"As long as I can even remember. Dancing means everything to me. When I grow up, I want to travel the world and bring my dance to all the Pokémon out there... But so far I’ve spent my life only here. I haven’t even been to the place where my aunt Serperior lives, or to Mt. Victory."  
"Would you not like to go there?" asked Sneasel. "To Mt. Victory?"  
"I would really love to," Kirlia said. "But my parents would definitely not allow me to go. Especially my mom does not want me to go away. She is always so overly careful and never allows me to do anything. Everything is too dangerous in her eyes."  
'You can’t blame her, "said Sneasel. "She is your mother, and mothers don’t want bad things happen to their children."  
Kirlia nodded. Sneasel seemed to be so wise, so grown up. He was so different from her younger brother Abra. And she liked that.  
"What would you say if I asked my parents to talk to your parents so that they allow you to come with us?" asked Sneasel.  
"You'd really do that for me?" Kirlias eyes began to shine.  
"Of course I would," replied Sneasel. "We’re friends after all, and friends stick together, right?"  
Kirlia and Sneasel walked home hand in hand. Both of them were sure that this was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

##### Eterna City

##### 

Alakazam did not know how Lilligant would react on the news. So he had been waiting for an opportunity he felt as appropriate. Now, they were in the garden behind their house when he took her by the hand and told her about his conversation with Emboar the night before, and about the offer to follow him to his palace on Mt Victory. Lilligant listened to him patiently and didn’t show any emotion, even when Alakazam was done.  
"What," asked the Psi Pokémon. "Why don’t you say something?"  
"You have already made your decision," Lilligant replied calmly. "So what should I say?"  
"I would like to hear what you think about this issue," Alakazam said.  
The Flowering Pokémon remained silent and seemed to be thinking about something. Finally she said: "Reuniclus was recruited by the Guardians, did you know that?"  
The “Guardians of the Distortion World”, or simply “Guardians”, as they were often called, was an elite corps which was founded many years ago. Officially, their task was to maintain security in Sinnoh. But their real mission was to avert the increased attacks of Ghost-type Pokémon from the Distortion World. This troop was top secret, only very few knew of its existence. There was no way to volunteer to become a Guardian. One was chosen by them.  
"No," Alakazam said, surprised. "He didn’t tell me."  
"You were hardly at home recently," Lilligant said with a forced smile. "When could he have told you?"  
"This is unfair," Alakazam defended himself. "You know that there were many incidents recently, and I’ve been very busy."  
"Of course I know," said Lilligant. She smiled and gently stroked her husband over the head. "And I know what your work to you. To stop you would be the most severe punishment for you. So I give you my accordance for your new task. All I ask of you is to remember that we are still here, and to come home now and then."  
"I will," promised Alakazam and put his arms around his wife. They enjoyed the sun and the fresh air. For an instant all worries were forgotten. But, unfortunately the peace did not last long. It was interrupted as Sir Arcanine and his subordinate Lairon came into their garden.  
"Lord Alakazam, Lady Lilligant, would you please come with us," said the Legendary Pokémon. "Something happened with your son!" 


End file.
